Gulden Draak 9000 Quadruple | Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.

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I like the regular version better I think. this one is punishingly boozy, with no apologies. I mean, I know its a quad and it should be big, but this is hard to drink. pours super light for its genre, orange hued bronze color, maybe even lighter, fairly clear, with a sudsy white head. the nose is all alcohol, a touch of banana and other fruits towards the end, and some candy sugar, but the alcohol is by far the most forward aroma. same is true with the taste. it finishes hot, but some banana from the yeast is left over after the alcohol burns off. hints of honey, vanilla, and black papper flash in and out, but in the end its booze and sugar. too much for me, and I am a lover of quads, but this one has glaring imbalances even for its strength. its still a very well made beer of course, but in comparison to the regular gulden draak, this is inferior in my opinion. 750mls of this could kill a small child.

Heavy, stubby 11.2oz bottle served in a chalice glass. Beer pours surprisingly pale in color, but appears golden red in the glass. Crystal clear, too. Aroma is rich, of peaches, or stone fruit. Flavor is comparatively mild/neutral. Yeasty and fizzy. It just doesn't have the depth of flavor I want in a quad. What it does have, however, is impeccable balance, and the perfect disguise for its massive ethanol payload. I must disagree on this point with my fellow reviewers, apparently. Very drinkable, just not all that interesting. But apparently I had the same complaint about St. Stefanus when I reviewed that. I really must pick up and review the standard Gulden Draak (Tripel) as well as Piraat, which I remember quite liking. There's just no excuse for a beer this heady and drinkable to be so middling in a category like Belgian Quad.

Enjoyed from the big bomber, this FANTASTIC Belgian quad pours a peachy red with a succulent white head of thick foam that dissipates to a thin layer with GREAT lacing. Nose of sweet fruits of peach, pear, sweet Belgian candy sugars, and yeasty goodness. Taste is exceptional with a peach like quality to the middle and sides blending with Belgian candy sugars, crisp apple to the back, and bready yeast flavors rounding it all into a symposium of excellence. Very nicely carbonated mouth feel makes the slick flavors wash down quite nicely. A well rounded Belgian quad that is always a winner. As always an A plus from this fine Belgian brewery.

Deep and glowing amber orange body, with a good middle column of roaring carbonation in the centre. Head manages a light cream quality, about two fingers with a good appearance of pinhead bubbled puck, that keeps getting repopulated on the sides. Looks like a slight vanilla whipped top for the head too.

Aroma is soft bisquit like malts, large vanilla cream sensations too, and classic fruity Belgian esters and sweetness. Candi like sugar gives way to accenting the malt sweetness more so, in an almost pastry bakery like flavor. Really does smell like a soft vanilla white cake.

Palate makes no mistakes about what it is. Spicy warmth and a big clove and nutmeg hea hit the palate on first sip. Sweet malts come in even with a mild astringency of bitterness on the finish, and coat with a warm brandy like booze warmth. Finishes a bit clean as well, and a good accent of caramel sweetness and softness continue in the palate. With the hot phenols a sense of almost tight carbonation feels like it's coming in, but ends up more simple and just a little higher than moderate. Playful. Bakery sweet. Excellently balanced seeming less hot than it's ABV indicates.

A real interesting take, and not what I was expecting on a quad as I was expecting darker and more fig/raisin qualities. That being said I can take this in a heartbeat anytime and probably would prefer it to the former. Love the bakery sweetness and feel to it too.

Pours a cloudy, orange-amber color, little bits of yeasty goodness floating about. A big head develops initially, dropping chunkily (?) to a broken film with an amazing amount of lacing left before the first sip is taken.
Smell is malt, fruity (apple & grape mostly), sweet with just a whiff of yeast.
Taste is malt, alcohol, fruit, yeast. Balance is off cuz that alcohol hit is big! but the flavor is great.
Body is medium, effervescence is quite sharp up front but fades reasonably fast though it retains a kind of tanginess to it. Warming from the get-go. Slightly drying. Damned good.

Appearance: Pours a vaguely murky copper color. The head is three fingers high, and off-white in shade. It doesn't seem to have the intense fizz of other Belgian ales, in fact it's texture is almost creamy-looking. Retention is about average. Plenty of lacing is left on the glass, though. Even if the body itself isn't brilliantly lustrous, it's still one of the better-looking Belgians out there. (4.25)

Smell: The nose starts off with incredibly vibrant fruit notes - mainly cherries, raisins, and figs. Letting it open up will cause it to develop a powerful spicy edge of ginger, while maintaining nice bread notes. As it opens up even further, it gains some caramel and candied sugar aromas. Judging from the nose, it smells like a big-ass brew, but one with an aura of restraint to it. (4.25)

Taste: It starts off bringing those big fruit notes from the aroma down to the palate - not only do I get dark fruits like fig and raisin, but I also get some nice citrusy flavors (invoking Duvel). The finish is slightly caramel-esque and sugary, but it doesn't linger cloyingly by any stretch. It doesn't taste like a stereotypical BSDA, instead it takes elements from both light and dark. What makes this work so wonderfully is how it balanced everything is - it isn't endlessly deep, nor does it need to be. (4.25)

Mouthfeel: Typical of the style, the 'bigness' of the brew is counteracted by fizzy, mouth filling carbonation. The finish is still a bit heavy, but not ridiculously so. Considering how flawlessly the alcohol is concealed, I don't care. Is this a 6% beer? Could have fooled me... (4.5)

Overall: I'm not sure which Gulden Draak is superior: the regular "dark tripel" or this. I'd personally say this is a little more drinkable, though regular GD has a bit more depth.

On tap at Sessions in GReensboro.Poured into a fluted glass a a deep burnt orange with a fluffy white head atop.Canied sugar/caramel with alot of fruity ester in the nose,candied sugar plays a big role in this beer.Burnt sugar flavors are big with some vanilla caramel flavors almost like a hard toffee,light yeasty spiced notes along with some juicy fruit round out the palate.This is a rich tasting full flavored quad,one of the best I have had,seek it out if you can find it.

Pours a cloudy, dark-amber color, maybe even enough to be called brown, with a slightly darker-than-beige head, creamy and frothy looking. Retention was nice, but minimal lace was left against the glass. Aroma was, as to be expected from the style, a malt-heavy bomb. Dark, fruity esters in the form of dates and figs, candied grapes, burnt sugar, spicy Belgian yeast; some phenol alcohol pokes through, not a surprise at 10.5% ABV. Some more light molasses and caramel aromas come out but remain pretty tamed for the most part.

Hits the palate with a slightly thinner body than expected, however still fairly creamy with a hefty helping of carbonation that seemingly lifts the beer right off of your tongue while you're taking a sip. Big fruity flavors, very sweet - not quite "tart", but there is a split second where you might say some tartness is apparent. Boozy grapes (almost wine-like, but not as harsh), dates, brown sugar, toasted caramels. As the alcohol warms, it takes on a sherry or brandy character, becoming much more relevant and maybe even a little too powerful. Spices from the Belgian yeast are noticeable but not necessarily the forefront here, as they are in many Belgian ales; light bubblegum, clove, almost a minty flavor. This one finishes dry and bready, sweet and caramely with a small hint of dark, fruity esters fading out.

Very tasty quad, although I think I may prefer the regular Gulden Draak to this one. Certainly not bad for the price, seeing as how it's cheaper than many quads of similar size.

11.2oz bottle poured into a glass at the Bier Zot in Sister Bay, WI on 8/12/17. Review from notes. Appears transparent light brown with a large head. Smells/tastes of honey, caramel, spice, bready malt, and some dark fruit; great flavor intensity. Quite sweet with a warming alcohol presence. High, prickly carbonation and below average body. Overall, a very enjoyable and drinkable BSDA.

Served at Hunger & Thirst in Lancaster. Initially, there was very little aroma with this beer but the look in the glass was formidable. A pretty head capped an opaque deep golden goblet and it too a while before the nose developed. The great flavor was evident from the get go and all the way through. Complex and well balanced, one of the better beers I've had in a while.